1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to bushings and, more particularly, to bushings and coupling systems for rigidly securing two or more components together.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various means are used to connect one or more separate parts or components together in a rigid or semi-rigid manner. One very common connection means involves bolting components together using a standard bolt and a correspondingly sized nut. The bolt is inserted through holes formed in the components and secured to the components with the nut to form a bolted assembly. In order to accept the bolt, the holes of the components must be sized larger than the bolt, and as such, do not tightly engage the circumference of the bolt when inserted therein. In other words, there is a clearance gap or slop created between each of the component holes and the bolt. The size of the gap or extent of the slop is generally determined by the sizing of the holes and the bolt and varies in accordance with dimensional tolerances of the same. Accordingly, even in applications in which dimensional tolerances are relatively small (such as may result from various high-precision machining and manufacturing processes) there remains a gap or slop between the bolt and corresponding holes. As a result, parts or components that are bolted together have a tendency to move relative to each other when subjected to various loading conditions. This relative movement can have significant undesirable consequences when accurate positioning of the components is critical to operational safety and/or performance of the assembly.